American Honey

2016

Drama

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Synopsis

Star, a teenage girl with nothing to lose, joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.

Star, a teenage girl with nothing to lose, joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by brankovranjkovic9 / 10

American Honey - A vulnerable girl making poor lifestyle choices

"American Honey" is one film as you watch you get memories back of
"Easy Rider" as both are clearly a road journey of discovery and
freedom, only with this picture which is too moved along by the music
and songs played during it looks at it from the female perspective as
the central character is that of a young teenage girl. Set in the south
a young southern girl named Star(newcomer Sasha Lane)is currently
living a life with a man and some young kids and it's clear she needs a
new start and escape from this redneck and trailer park trash way of
life. So after she decides to head out with a traveling group of young
boys and girls(who sale magazines as a group) her life on the road
becomes wide open and full of soul searching and discovery of herself
and others.The film is nearly three hours long so it's clearly an in depth journey
as the group travels across the south and west, Star enjoys a lot more
than selling magazines she becomes a fan of some hard partying and even
sees a side of law breaking on the trip of stops. Star also is taken
under the wing by Jake(Shia LaBeouf)a leader of the group type who
enjoys having raw and lust type outdoor sex with Star. Thru all of the
adventures and side subplots Star(who sports a sexy pink bra)who's sexy
in a raw type manner learns a lot about herself and life by seeing
different people as on the open road it proves that life is a journey
just as on any trip discovery is found as it is often is in life too.
Clearly this movie is a film of finding open freedom and discovery
finding one's self thru journey and travel as that's what Star did she
saw life thru people and the road as a journey that opens up new
discovery. "American Honey" is clearly one movie to watch for a feel
good journey time of freedom and escape as life intersects with travel
for a revealing of discovery and happiness.

Reviewed by Willie Hollis9 / 10

More than just a number

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Reviewed by Danny Blankenship9 / 10

A film that explores a road life of choices, and a fun journey of finding one's self with open freedom.

I've been a member on IMDb for over two years. I've written reviews
years ago on the Rotten Tomatoes site. Since then though, I never
really saw the need for me to write reviews. I understand the purpose
of reviews and I know that all films deserve more than just a number on
a scale but I just never saw the point in me writing them again. But
American Honey should be explained. It's something that works less as a
film but more like a beautiful experiment. American Honey is about a girl, Star, who is in a horrible position in
her life. She has an extremely troubled home while also taking care of
two young children while she herself is only 18. She meets Jake, who in
part runs a "Mag Crew" . A group of road trippers that sell magazines
door to door. She leaves everything behind and joins Jake's crew of
young people and goes on a road trip with her new "family". For starters, it looks beautiful. The cinematography is top notch.
Every shot is looks like a cross between a documentary and art house
picture. Some scenes, the camera is placed in the backseat of a van
with people all around it making the viewer feel like they are watching
actual events. While some, the camera is beautifully still, taking in
the the view of a wide landscape.The acting by Sasha Lane and all the newcomers in the mag crew is
incredibly down to Earth. They all feel like real people having actual
conversations. And this is by far the best performance Shia LaBeouf has
ever done. And the movie's biggest pro is the overall style and feel of the film.
I know that this is a very broad statement but "Honey" is one of the
most realistic films I've seen in recent memory. Maybe since Boyhood.
Because like Boyhood before this, "Honey" captures the current
generation. The soundtrack fits with this overall theme and style
perfectly. The music really helps drive the movie with rap, country,
and everything in between sampled in the film. My overall flaws with the film are on its story and characters. It's a
character study, sure. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that but
when your main character doesn't have very many redeeming qualities
then you're kind of just watching a movie that angers you when your
character doesn't go through any major arc. And I get that's her
character, that's the way she is. Young people do stupid things. But
it's hard to base your movie around that. She is somewhat reborn at the
end of the film but not enough to justify it. She just constantly seems
to do stupid or mean spirited things. Also, This film is long. 163
minutes. They probably could of shaved an hour off of that. That is
mostly due to the long unedited takes of things that don't need to be
shown. Things that slow the pacing tremendously to the point it feels
boring and meandering at times. American Honey is worth watching to get the feel of the American youth.
It's a perfect window into that. Along with being visually stunning.
But don't expect the movie to ever pick up the pace due to the editing
and the overall stagnant character arc.

Reviewed by Hellmant9 / 10

At 2 hours and 43 minutes, it just flies by!

'AMERICAN HONEY': Five Stars (Out of Five)A coming-of-age road film, written and directed by British filmmaker
Andrea Arnold. It stars newcomer Sash Lane, and Shia LaBeouf; and it
tells the story of a teenage girl that joins a traveling magazine sales
crew, as they work their way across the Midwest. The film has received
mostly positive reviews from critics, and it's also done very well at
Film Festivals (as well); making multiple 'Best of 2016' lists. I
really enjoyed it, and I also think it's one of the best movies of the
year!Star (Lane) is a teenage girl, who's constantly stuck taking care of
her adoptive siblings. When she meets Jake (LaBeouf), at a local store,
she's immediately drawn to him. Jake invites Star to travel across the
Midwest, with him and his outcast friends. She reluctantly agrees, and
embarks on a new life adventure with them. One of the most amazing things about the movie, is how beautifully it
seems to capture the natural real world. The film never seems staged;
it always seems like you're watching real people, doing real things.
The main reasons for this, I think, is Arnold's outstanding direction
(and script) and the performances of all of her cast. I'm a big fan of
LaBeouf, as a performance artist and an actor, and I think he's
building an amazing resume for himself (he's arguably one of the very
best actors in film today). I also think Lane is outstanding in the
lead, especially for a debut actress; that Arnold discovered on Spring
break, with her friends (she found most of the rest of the cast on the
streets, in parking lots, at state fairs, construction sites, etc.)!
The movie is always beautiful to watch, because of this; and at 2 hours
and 43 minutes, it just flies by. What an amazing film!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at:
https://vimeo.com/188469847